A MAN died after he fell and hit his head during a drink-fuelled binge, an inquest heard.

Mark Lewis, of Coleman Street, Southampton, had been drinking with his girlfriend and her brother on July 8, last year.

The trio decided to head to the shops and went to sit in Hoglands Park but on their way, Mark became unsteady on his feet.

An inquest into his death at Winchester Coroner’s Court was told that CCTV picked up the 48-year-old falling over a concrete sphere on St Mary’s Street.

DC Chris Barrow said that Mark fell over “fairly hard” and CCTV showed a “period of time where he is recovering from the fall in situ”.

The hearing was told that Mark, along with girlfriend Dawn and her brother Stewart, went and sat in the park to continue drinking before they went their separate ways.

At about 9.30pm he was spotted by local resident Elwinar Stapor laid in James Street, in a statement she said: “He was laying on his front. I couldn’t see any blood, couldn’t see any bruises or cuts.

“As I heard him snoring I thought he was ok.”

It wasn’t until 7.30am the following morning (July 9) that the ambulance service were called by passers-by and Mark was taken to Southampton General Hospital where he died four days later on July 13.

A port mortem concluded that he died of a head injury, with Home Office forensic pathologist Basil Purdue stated that Mark had suffered a subdural haematoma - a bleed on the brain.

A toxicology report from Peter Streete found that he had 190 microgrammes of alcohol in his blood - 2.4 times the legal drink drive limit.

The inquest was told that the former chef’s death sparked a police investigation, with concerns raised about his relationship.

In a statement PC Laura Smith said that there were 24 calls made to the police in the lead up to the death, with Dawn and Mark both making reports that they had been assaulted by each other, but no charges were brought.

Hearing about her brother’s death Sarah Lewis said he “stumbled into his adult life with a troubled mind” following years of abuse and a lack of support.

She added: “Mark was an alcoholic, but he was a victim too, he fought back at a system that consistently, throughout his life, let him down.”

The inquest was told that paramedics were informed about a man sleeping on a patch of grass by passers-by after they were called by Dawn complaining of breathlessness, but it was decided not to check due to the area being known for alcoholics sleeping in public spaces.

Area coroner Samantha Marsh said that Mark’s death was accidental, adding: “While his death was accidental it was contributed by the alcohol toxicity.”